It's Time You Gave Yourself A Raise. Here Are 3 Principles To Increase Your Worth

When I began my healing business, I priced myself based on what I thought others would pay or what I saw my teacher charge for her work. I went way under what my teacher charged because I thought I was still so far away from ever being the expert and healer that she was—I never once considered that I was my own being, had my own worth, and building my own brand.

Pricing can have a very subtle but incredibly deep-rooted connection to self-value and self-worth.

In my personal experience and over years of having my own private practice, I noticed that I kept coming back to the same fears, the same doubts and the same questions: How much should I charge? Am I charging enough? Am I charging too much? How can I keep this up when very deep down I don’t feel like I’m valuing myself? Why do others charge so little? Why do others charge so much?

I had created shifts in my pricing over the years simply based on the ‘fact’ that I had earned my stripes and put in the time and received the praise that I was indeed good at my work. I was safely willing to charge another $50 more per session or say no to the client who wanted a session for way under price. The big shift for me came in a very unexpected way. As a spiritual coach I was also not always focused on the money or my worth. I sort of left it up in the air and always got a little uncomfortable when people asked me about my pricing. Here’s when it changed.

I was essentially putting all of my focus on everything and everyone else BUT me.

I ended up teaching at a yoga and mindfulness summit in Chicago and was carpooling to the airport with another one of the teachers from the event, Stef Ziev. She was a no-nonsense, straight to the point business coach based in New York City. We started talking and sharing and after we said our goodbyes she looked at my business card and told me how impossible it was to even read my name on the card, let alone my information. I realized in that moment that I had never actually made me and my name and my value a true part of my work. I wasn’t taking responsibility and honoring my value.

We scheduled a deep dive session together when I was next in New York and boom. She asked me all of these incredible questions that forced me to look at my value in my work and in my life. Without even thinking I was answering her questions based on how I felt about everything in the moment. I saw that I was not satisfied with my numbers, that I felt drained in doing my work, that I felt like I was giving more than I was receiving. She helped me find a new number that felt aligned to my value and now I am always checking in and growing and shifting to serve and honor my worth and value. Here are the practices I've started to implement.

Article continues below

1. Trust in the law of attraction. More clients came to me after I valued myself at a higher price point.

Once I started putting up more boundaries and exclusivity in my private practice, retreats, events and teachings, I noticed that people felt more committed to the work and this also allowed them to ultimately feel more committed to themselves. I was more committed, so naturally they were becoming so, too. I also stopped thinking about what everyone else wanted or thought about me and my services and started paying attention to what I wanted or desired.

If I showed up to my sessions from a place of feeling drained, devalued or unappreciated that energy would affect the experience for everyone. When I’m in alignment with my value and my worth, it’s much easier for others to also find their own alignment to those qualities. Money is energy. If you connect to your value and give yourself permission to receive green energy every time you are going into a session where you will be giving your energy, then the exchange can become clean and clear. I do many things in my life that are unpaid, and I love them and value them. I have clients who pay full price, and I have given discounts and done trades in the past as well. My coach is the first one to say you should absolutely not do trades with anyone. I understand this philosophy and see the value and importance in it. I also check in with myself regularly when someone approaches me to see what feels good to me. There can be as much flexibility and as many options as you want there to be. It’s your business. You can do it however you want and in whatever way that makes you feel the most valued. It’s also important to note that your choices can change anytime you want them to. That’s you connecting to your value.

2. Be where you are, but go where you want to go. Have a money meeting with yourself once a week.

This is an awesome idea that was shared with me from another friend of mine and awesome bad-ass financial coach. Her name is Brittney Castro from Financially Wise Women. Brittney spoke at an event we put on at one of my businesses, pure barre beverly hills. One of her biggest pieces of advice was to have a money meeting with yourself once a week. A time that you block out on your calendar and treat like you would any other important meeting you have for your business during the week. Here's what I do in my "money meeting" although if you're not an entreprenuer, you'll need to tailor the questions to fit your lifestyle.

look over all of your finances

see what you’ve spent that week

look at your projections for the month

make a note and send an email to clients who owe for their sessions

follow up with prospective clients interested in booking with you

It’s a great time to see if you’ve been spending more than you anticipated on something. Or to see if you’ve not made the money you expected after an event or course offered. I have learned so many things about my businesses by scheduling these meetings with myself once a week. I now encourage everyone to do it at every stage in their life.

Article continues below

Related Class

As you grow your business, I recommend putting your energy into you. Connect to where you are in your journey, without judgment, not enoughness, and without the desire to control the journey. Just look at where you are now and then connect to where you believe want to be in the future. Feel into your business and write out what makes you feel happy and what makes you feel drained or zapped. That’s information for you to live by. You are in the driver’s seat. You get to make the choices so you can feel and receive energy in easy, joyful and healthy ways. That’s my current daily mantra: God, help me receive your energy, including green energy, in easy, healthy and joyful ways. (You can always replace "God" with whatever you believe in: Universe, higher power,

Let yourself feel the worth and value of your business because your business is an extension of you. It is not you. You are you and you are value, you are worth and you are worthy.

Kelsey J. Patel

Spiritual Coach & Reiki Master

Kelsey J. Patel is a spiritual empowerment coach, healer, and entrepreneur dedicated to helping clients live a vibrant, joy-filled, and abundant life. Through her public speaking, Fortune 500 consulting, online programs, and private practices of Reiki, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), and intuitive healing, she guides others through the process of releasing their old stories and limiting beliefs. Through healing these past wounds, her clients can then step into lives filled with peace, purpose, and true fulfillment. This is her life's purpose. Known for her abilities to connect deeply with her clients, she attributes this to the sum of her own life experiences. Her healing corporate workshops and one-on-one sessions blend her corporate experience and her spiritual trainings to help those in need stand in their own truth, release old patterns, and begin leading authentic and fulfilling lives.Kelsey is a certified Reiki master, yoga instructor, meditation teacher, and specializes in the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). She is also the owner of Pure Barre in Beverly Hills as well as co-owner of I Am Vibes Activewear.